Reader Question for Franklin Leonard: What do you look for in a quick pitch?

Franklin Leonard has kindly agreed to answer some questions from the GITS community, so I recently ran this post soliciting your inquiries. Here is the first Q&A with a question from Katie Petrachonis:

Franklin, I’m attending AFF later this week and I see that you’re judging the pitch contest. Can you tell me what you look for in a pitch? Obviously core story is the most important thing, but I’ve been having a hard time boiling my all the elements (character, setting, turning points, journeys, etc) down into less than 90 seconds. Would be grateful for any tips. Thanks!

Here is Franklin’s response to what he looks for in a quick pitch:

After a terrific time at the Austin Film Festival over the last four days, I’m now answering this question having already judged the pitch contest, which is certainly too late to help the person asking the question but let me answer it anyway for the benefit of anyone who might be curious.

And before I do let me also give one last quick round of applause to the finalists at the Austin pitch competition, who did a great job, especially Zach Ehrlich, a sophomore at Emerson, who really killed it up there and deservedly walked away the winner.

All that said, a 90 second pitch (or any radically abbreviated pitch structure for the purposes of a contest) is a decidedly artificial construct. Probably the closest one would come to that situation in the real world is passing along an idea over the course of casual conversation, and obviously the theatrics that go into a pitch on stage at a busy bar would find a strange home there.

For any pitch though, what I think everyone is looking for is a good story well told, one that feels like a movie that people would pay money to see, money that in aggregate totals significantly more than it would cost to make and market it. Part of that is also gauging whether the person pitching it has the potential to deliver a scripted version of that pitch that matches its potential in pitch form. Consequently, a great writer will get a heck of a lot more leeway than someone without an established reputation.

Let’s use this as an opportunity to discuss the so-called “elevator pitch.” What has your experience been, either at a screenwriting conference or a happenstance opportunity with an industry insider? What are some keys to a successful quick pitch?

Thanks to Franklin for that answer. Tomorrow another Q&A with Franklin Leonard.

UPDATE: Screenwriter Bob DeRosa [Killers, The Air I Breathe] has weighed in with an excellent comment in replies. Here is the money quote:

A good idea empowers the listener. When someone realizes it’s a good idea, it creates an emotional connection to the story for them. It’s like you’re offering an invite to a cool club and the listener gets the privilege of accepting the invite and looking cool by doing so. If you do it right, everyone looks smart and it’s a win-win.

Absolutely spot on and I’ve nothing more to add. Except this: Thanks, Bob!

You may follow Bob on Twitter: @thembob.

Comment Archive